Nothing Gold Can Stay
by TheLostMaximoff
Summary: Set after 'Ascension'. After his breakup with Wanda, Todd leaves the Brotherhood when he learns she's found someone else.
1. I'm Sorry I'm Leaving

Nothing Gold Can Stay

By TheLostMaximoff

Disclaimer: Don't own characters. After, or even instead of, reading this go read 'Even Now Again, Forever' by S. Mark Gunther. It's beautiful. Other than that, please R/R.

Why's life so hard? All I ever wanted was to be happy. I don't really think that's too much to ask, you know? I mean so far God's dumped a lot on me. I figure the least the Big Guy could do would be to cut me a little slack.

It's quiet in the house but then again it's always quiet at night unless you count Fred's snoring. I walk down the darkened hallways, past the closed doors of rooms. These rooms hold my friends, my brothers. This place is my home, the only one I've ever had. No more though. There is a cancer in this house now and it is eating away at me. This house is no longer my home, not while he's in it and not while he's with her.

My eyes rest on her door. I consider for a few moments going in and telling her goodbye, telling her a lot of things that I never told her before even when we were together. I shake my head sadly and walk on. She wouldn't want to hear it anyway. In fact, she's probably not in her room. She's probably sleeping in his room, in his bed. The thought of it disgusts me and when something can disgust Todd Tolensky then it's pretty bad.

As I slowly and quietly creep down the stairs, it all washes over me again. Until that fateful night, my life has been a bad form of déjà vu. I can't forget that night. Every time I see them together I relive it over again and all the stitches that sewed up my emotional wounds come undone.

XXXXX

The trouble started when Pyro moved in. I could tell that he had a thing for her. After all, Wanda Maximoff is the most beautiful girl in the world, right? Who wouldn't have a thing for her? It's kinda funny now that I think about it. She was like my own little secret, you know? Nobody else noticed how beautiful she was except me. I felt like I could just sorta keep her all to myself, that nobody else would try to take her away from me. He noticed how gorgeous she was though and he did his damn best to make sure she took notice of him too. I had faith in her though. I could tell by the look in her eye that when she said she loved me she meant every word of it. I trusted her with all my heart. How could I have been so stupid?

This is where things get interesting. I suppose if this were a cartoon show or a comic book, it would be here where the plot would thicken as they say. Wanda and I started havin' problems after awhile. She started distancing herself from me, stopped spending as much time with me as she had before. We talked less too. We used to have these long conversations at night. We'd just sit on someone's bed and talk for hours, never stopping once. Neither of us minded because it was so beautiful, you know? We just enjoyed spending time with each other and being around each other. It didn't matter what we talked about. Sometimes it was silly stuff and sometimes it was pretty heavy. I didn't care what it was so long as I was with her. Ever since Pyro moved in though we haven't talked as much.

I guess I should've seen this whole thing comin' a mile away. You never suspect things like that though until it's way too late. It's like being told you have cancer or that your teenage daughter is suddenly pregnant. You always think it happens to other people and never to yourself. Other people's girlfriends cheat on them, never your own. Especially when it's Wanda and you love her so much. God, I wish that was true. I wish I had never seen what I saw and that none of this had ever happened.

So yeah, it all exploded one night. I walk into her room to see if we can start talkin' again like we used ta and there they were. There was my little cuddles sittin' right on her bed makin' out with that flame-obsessed idiot. I couldn't really say anything when I saw it. It took a few seconds for it to really hit me. The only thing I could think of before I said anything was that it looked so different from the way Wanda and I kissed. Whenever I kissed her, it was always gentle, tender. You have to be that way with her a lot of times. What I saw that night was different though. It was like some sorta dam had burst. It was heavy and raw and passionate.

A million questions ran through my mind at that point. Was this what she really wanted? What could I have done to stop this? What did I not give her that he was willing to provide? If she did have feelings for him, why didn't she say something to me? There were a ton of others but I don't really remember them all now. I don't remember much of anything else except a few seconds later Wanda and I were arguing. I hate arguing with her, which is why I try to avoid it a lot. This was somethin' we just couldn't get around though.

We broke up that night. She had some line, some reason for it all but to me it sounded like crap. She kept trying to explain but I couldn't listen to it. Every single time she tried to tell me it was like someone was ripping my heart straight out of my chest. She ran through all the different ways of saying 'I don't love you anymore'. My heart was ripped out over and over again. I couldn't take that type of pain.

I thought still living in the house wouldn't change anything. I figured eventually the Aussie would screw up and then she'd come back to me. I was wrong on both counts. There's a hollow feeling in me now. Some people say when someone gets their arm or leg chopped off they can still feel part of the missing limb. It's like the nerves haven't gotten the message to stop working yet. That's how it feels when I see them now. I lost a part of me when I lost her, a part of me that still aches whenever I see her with Pyro. I watch him put his arm around her and I can still feel the warmth of her body close to mine. I watch them kiss and I can still taste her lips. It's the worst pain I can think of.

XXXXX

I've made it out the door now. I start down the driveway and then turn to look back at the old house. I don't really know what I'm lookin' for these days it seems. Since that night, everything I know has been turned upside down and inside out. The only thing I can do is leave now. I can't take that kind of pain forever so I have to leave them all behind. I have to because if I don't I know I'll end up hurting her and even after all the pain she's put me through I can't bear the thought of me returning the favor.

I wonder if she sees me now. I bet if he saw me now he'd be laughin' his damn head off. I know Pyro's type though. Pretty boy, heartbreaker, likes fast times and fast women. If that's what she wants from someone then fine with me. Better to look like garbage on the outside than be garbage on the inside.

I realize then it was stupid to think she'd be watching me. I turn to leave. I don't have any clue where I'll go. I just know I have to be somewhere where I can't see them. I have to find some place where there's someone who won't shatter my heart into a million pieces. I begin to walk away but my feet freeze up. I should've known she'd have more to say. I wouldn't stick around to hear it but since I have no choice I turn and face her.

"Todd?" she says quietly, "Why?" It's a good question but she's not supposed to ask it. I'm the one who should be, who has been, asking that question ever since that night.

"You tell me," I retort with a little more venom than I wanted, "Why, Wanda? Why am I suddenly not worth caring about?" I can tell that one hurt and I instantly regret it. Despite all that has happened, I cringe at the thought of hurting this girl. She's pushing it though and at some point I'm going to have to stop taking all this pain.

"Todd," she says softly, "I do care. I always will care. It's just that John is so different than you, so. . ." She doesn't have to say it. I can fill in the blanks. John is handsome, John is hot, John is sexy, John is every single thing in the world that I can never be. I thought she was better than that. Suddenly I don't know this girl anymore.

"Todd, he loves me," she explains as if that magically makes any sense. I suddenly wonder what the hell I've been doing for the past six months we were together, what I've been doing since the day she came into my life. Haven't I always been there for her? Haven't I wiped away her tears and taught her to smile again? Haven't I walked straight through hell for this girl and never once even asked for anything in return? Haven't I loved her?

"And what makes you think I don't?" I ask her demandingly. I suddenly wonder what it is he does that tells her he loves her. Is it the predatory glances? Is it the hungry eyes he looks at her with as if she is a five-star meal and he a starving man? Sorry if that's what you want, Wanda, but that ain't my style. If lovin' somebody means lookin' at 'em like they're a freakin' turkey dinner then I don't wanna love anybody.

"Todd, I know you love me," she tells me, "You've always loved me. I still care about you, Todd, but my feelings for John are more. Please understand that I. . ." I cut her off right there. She was about to say it, say that dreaded phrase that will burn itself into my brain and become repeated over and over again in my nightmares. She wants to be friends. More specifically she wants me to be a teddy bear that she can hold onto when he's hurt her. I couldn't take that if I knew she'd just run back to him after all the tears were dried.

"I'm leaving," I tell her, "You want my 'friendly' advice? Don't do this to yourself, Wanda. Don't get caught up in something like this and expect it to last."

"Can't you be happy for me?" she asks tearfully.

"No," I reply a little too honestly, "I can't when you're makin' a big mistake." Neither of us say anything. The air is still, save for the howling of the wind through the old house. I stare at her and realize it's funny the way she looks now. She's not the most beautiful and wonderful girl in the world anymore, you know? She's just a girl now, just a nameless face in a sea of equally nameless faces that will never love me. The full reality of what is happening sinks in. I am alone again, lost in the crowd waiting for someone to notice me and realize I'm worth something.

I can't help but think as we stand there in silence that this whole mess is somehow my fault. It's impossible to understand but somehow I caused this. I gave this girl everything though, everything I had. I gave her my time, my understanding, my care, my heart, my soul. I never once asked for anything in return. Never once did I ask her to help me with my problems though I would give everything to fix hers. Never once did I demand repayment for giving her all these things. I have been there every time she needed me. Every time she cried it was on my shoulder and every time she laughed I was the one making her smile. Does that all mean absolutely nothing to her now? Was I just some stupid little fling until something better came along? Worse yet, did she date me because she felt sorry for me?

"I didn't want things to be this way," she finally says, "I never meant to hurt you, Todd." She's in a full-blown crying fit now. Part of me wants to comfort her but there's another part that feels justified in staying where I am. It's not my privilege to hold her in my arms now. No, that job's reserved for him.

"Wanda," I tell her, "Please go back in the house." I can't stand to see her this way. I always hated it when she cried and now I feel doubly bad because I'm the one that caused it.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way," I tell her, "but it does. Please understand that watching you be with him is too painful for me to bear." She doesn't budge an inch. I feel the muscles in my feet relax and realize I can move them again.

"Goodbye, Wanda," I tell her, "When you're ready to be with someone who loves you then find me." I turn away and start walking. I turn my back on the only home I have ever known and leave behind the people I care about the most.

"Goodbye, Todd." It's so soft I can barely hear it. She'll forget about me. She'll run off to Pyro and forget all about me. I was just the reject, the one that didn't work out. It's a shame I guess. She'll forget all about me with time but I will never, for a single second, forget about her.

(Author's Note): There will be a second part to this.


	2. Stay What You Are

Nothing Gold Can Stay (Part Two)

By TheLostMaximoff

Disclaimer: Don't own these guys. This one is set a few years after part one. Do the whole R/R thing and I'll love you.

It's weird how you look back on your life and can see exactly the point at which everything you knew changed. It seems like my life has been an endless series of moments like that. They all seem to have a pattern to them too, strangely enough. The pattern involves men leaving me. First it was Father and Pietro, then later it was Todd, and then after that it was John. Apparently, leaving me is like the new national pastime for males. I guess it's better than sitting around watching football and drinking beer. Yeah, lucky me.

My eyes stare vacantly at the tile floor of my room. I hate tile floor. It ranks right up there with stone in the departments of coldness and impersonality. Then again, I suppose places like this one don't make friendliness their top priority. Still, I have to admit this place is better than the asylum I was left to rot in when I was a child.

I have been living in this mental health clinic for about three weeks now. Time has an odd way of slowing down in here and since one day is almost identical to the next I've lost count. Still, I'm pretty sure it's been three weeks since I was released from the hospital and put in here. I'm getting a lot of help here though, which is a blessing compared to what I suffered through at the asylum. It's nice to get some help for a change. It's nice to be able to walk around without a straightjacket on or everyone watching you like you're a bug in a jar.

The tile floor holds no interest for me anymore so I turn my gaze to the equally bland ceiling. It's quite strange that even with all my freedom of movement I mostly just stay in my room. Most of the time I just think like I'm doing right now. Occasionally I'll read a book but sometimes it takes too much effort to do that. Numbness is a weird feeling. It's a sensation of complete emptiness, like you're a jack-o-lantern someone forgot to put a light in. That's how I feel most of the time. I feel hollow and fake. I keep trying to get over all that's happened but everyone can look right through it. They know I'm hurting but they can't help me. They can't heal me, not like he could.

XXXXX

It happened a seemingly long time ago, my breakup with Todd, and yet I still can't get it out of my head. I don't really know why I continue to think about it two years later but for some reason I can't dislodge the event from my brain. You never forget your first love they say. Whether or not anyone, including him, believes it anymore, he was my first love. I had to learn what love is the hardest way I can imagine.

After Todd left, things were different. I just wasn't used to John and how our relationship worked. I kept telling myself that I loved him, really loved him, but Todd's words that night echoed in my head the whole time I was with John. _'When you're ready to be with someone who loves you then find me.' _They still ring in my ears to this very day.

John and I had a whirlwind courtship. After dating steadily for a grand total of three months we decided it was time to get married. After all, we were in love, right? So we did the whole "I do" thing and I became Wanda Allerdyce. How could life be more perfect? What on Earth could be better?

I stare around the room and foolishly wait for an answer to my question, an answer I know full well. John and I had problems about a year into our marriage. There are a lot of things that "could be better" than our constant fighting. There are a lot of things that "could be better" than coming home one night to a note on the refrigerator that says your husband has been carrying on an affair and has now left you for said mistress. There a huge, grand number of things that "could be better" than, that very same night, taking a kitchen knife and trying to slit your wrist because you can't deal with the fact that yet another person you care about so much has left you alone in the cold. Yeah, the list could go on and on. That night was what put me in the hospital and, consequently, what put me in here.

XXXXX

I miss Todd now more than anything in the world. I took him for granted I guess. I never knew how much I needed somebody's support until suddenly I didn't have it anymore. It's so stupid when I think about it, about how I broke up with him to be with John. What I had with John was passion, no more and no less. Now, that's all well and good but when all you have with someone is just physical attraction that's hardly anything to base a marriage on. I suppose our feelings for each other were a lot like the flames John loved to manipulate. Our desire was beautiful while it lasted but it was snuffed out far too easily to be considered love. I was an idiot to think you could base a marriage on something so fickle.

There's a knock on my door. It's a nurse. I can always tell because they knock. Doctors just waltz in like they own the damn place but nurses treat you like a person. I like that. It's rare that in a mental health facility I am treated like an actual human being. I can remember the orderlies at the asylum. All of them were male, large hulking brutes that resembled prison guards. These nurses are women though, most middle-aged and are hardly as intimidating. I guess things inside the system have changed since I was nine years old.

It's not anywhere near time for a meal so I must have a visitor. Immediately I guess that it's Pietro. He comes to visit me all the time. I know he's trying to be there for me but, just like the doctors here, he can't give me what I need. Nobody can give me what I need to feel whole again. I sent away the only person who could a long time ago and he'll never come back. Why would he want to anyway? Why would he want to stand face-to-face with the monster that broke his heart?

"Ms. Maximoff," says the nurse, "you have a visitor." I got my last name changed back as soon as possible. I hate the name Allerdyce now especially when someone uses it to address me. It just reminds me of what happened, reminds me of how my happy life was completely shattered. The fact that the nurse didn't specify who my visitor is intrigues me. Everyone with two X chromosomes in this place knows Pietro by his first name. He's even tried to charm a few of the younger nurses on the many occasions he's visited me. Usually the nurses will just say, 'Your brother's here' or something to that effect.

"Come in then," I reply in a bored tone. As I return my attention to the ceiling, I try to run through the short checklist of people I know. Father's in jail, Fred sort of disappeared on us, Lance is probably still joined at the hip with Kitty, Pietro's already been marked out, and John's off with some bubbly, vapid, young girl who is, no doubt, better able to provide for his simple needs than his ex-wife who's now sitting in a mental health clinic all because he didn't have the manhood to come out and say he was having an affair to her face.

I'm so busy inwardly fuming at John that I don't hear the door open. I do, however, feel the hand on my shoulder. It's a clammy hand, whether damp from sweat or slime I can't tell. It is a gentle hand to match an equally gentle boy. It's amazing to think sometimes how something can just completely shatter a person. He's stronger inside than he looks though, than anyone could ever see. I think I'm the only one who's ever noticed it.

"Hey," says the voice quietly, "how ya been?" I look up at him. He's still the same even after two years. He still has that shaggy, brown hair in his face and that amber-colored film over his murky, green eyes. His eyes are where you can see the hidden, gentle strength that lies within him. He hasn't lost any of it after all that's happened. I thought he would've after I broke his heart, after I destroyed his innocence. I suddenly don't want him seeing me like this and I turn away. I can't look him in the eye after all I've done to him.

"I brought you some flowers," he says as he extends his offering. He's still doing it, still trying to make up for problems that aren't even his to begin with. Can't he see it? Can't he see that I'm the one with the problem? He's been everything I could've wanted even after I tossed him aside like trash. Why?

"Wanda," he pleads quietly, "Can you say something, please?" I can't. The lump in my throat is too big and the tears are running too fast. He must know I'm crying because he wraps his arms around me.

"Wanda," he tells me, "I'm so sorry for everything." This just makes me cry even more. He has absolutely nothing to be sorry about. This whole thing is my fault. I'm the one who threw away the best thing I ever had.

"It's gonna be okay," he whispers to me, "It's gonna be okay." His voice is the best medication on Earth, the only mood stabilizer I will ever need. He just keeps telling me everything will be okay over and over again and every time I hear it another piece of me believes it. His words burn themselves into my brain. It will be okay. As long as I have him by my side, I will be okay again.

"I know," I tell him finally, "I know." It's all I can manage to get out. His grip is so tight it's like he's clutching a life preserver to keep from drowning. It's almost as if the harder he hugs me the more of my demons he can banish.

I don't know how long we stay that way but I never want it to end. He's so different from John. He's tender and gentle. John never just held me. No, with us holding led to kissing which led to touching which led to other stuff. It's strange how simply putting your hand on someone's shoulder or holding them in your arms can say so much. Sometimes it's simply closeness a person needs and not intimacy.

"They're beautiful," I tell him as he finally separate and I see the bouquet of roses he's brought. It's little things that make all the difference in the world to someone. Todd always notices little things.

"Listen," he tells me, "the doctors say I can take you outside if you want me to. We can sit down and have a talk about stuff. Does that sound okay?"

"Yeah," I reply. It's been awhile since we talked, a very long while. I feel myself smile a little at the prospect of doing it again. I've missed our talks. Talking with John isn't the same as talking with Todd. I always felt there were some things I just couldn't talk with John about, some parts of me that I had to keep hidden from him. I can talk to Todd about anything though. He's seen me in all my various moods from enraged to bitter to confused to depressed. There are no secrets between us anymore.

"I've missed seeing that," he tells me as he gets up, "I missed your smile." I reflexively blush and give him another glimpse of what he missed.

XXXXX

Sometimes I forget how nice it is to be outside. I forget how a breeze feels on my skin or the smell of fresh flowers. I forget how radiant the sunlight makes things look. It's a shame to forget sensations like that.

We sit on a wooden bench under a tree on the front lawn of the clinic. It's nice and shady with the sunlight filtering through the leaves above us. There's a breeze blowing that's just the right level of coolness. I can't help but think that the past two years have all been a dream. I turn my head to look at him. If I could cast a big enough hex, I'd turn back the clock. I'd make John never exist and I'd make sure Todd and I never broke up. I want more than anything to believe that nothing between us has changed now but I know that everything has. He knows it too.

"I thought about you a couple days ago," he begins to explain, "I broke up with somebody recently and it made me remember you. Once I started thinkin' about you I couldn't stop. I had to see you, talk to you, make sure that. . ."

"That I was okay," I finish. That's typical of Todd. I don't know what I did to deserve this awkward, gangly little sap as my knight in shining armor but whatever it was I wouldn't undo it for anything in the entire world.

"That you were happy," corrects Todd. I nod. Todd's always wanted me to be happy. Looking back on things now, there were a lot of chances for him to take advantage of me and only think of himself. He never acted on any of those opportunities in the slightest.

"I got in touch with Pietro by way of Lance," he continues, "Your brother told me all about what happened with you and I had to come see you. I don't care what happened between us in the past, Wanda. If you're in pain then I'm always there for you."

"Thank you," I tell him. I was in pain and to some degree I still am. I can remember being scared out of my mind when I first came to the clinic. They put me under some pretty heavy restrictions because of what got me in here. It reminded me too much of the asylum and it scared the living hell out of me.

Of course, there was also my depression over John leaving me. I would've cut myself to ribbons if they had let me. It's such a horrible feeling when someone you're so in love with just leaves you. You always keep wondering what you did. What button could I have pushed to make him love me more? Why did he leave me? Was it something I did or said? Was it something I left unsaid or undone? Most of all, why couldn't he have told me about it?

"Wanda?" asks Todd, "What happened between us?" It hits me like a ton of bricks. It's the exact same question I would ask John if he was here. Suddenly I realize everything now. I realize why he couldn't stay. I realize what he must've felt when he saw John and I making out. I realize that once again we can relate to each other on so many levels.

"Todd," I reply sadly, "I honestly don't know. I just started getting these feelings for John, these desires. I don't know where they came from but I couldn't shake them. I knew he wanted me. He came to talk to me that night and I felt this pull, this magnetism towards him. I couldn't fight it and to be honest I didn't even want to try to. I never knew things would end up this way."

"I understand," he says even though I can see he's a little hurt. By all rights he should be hurt. It's terrible when the person you love has to turn to someone else to get what they need.

"You always do," I tell him truthfully, "You always will." He nods.

"Are they treating you okay in here?" he asks. I nod. Therapy is helping me climb out of the void. They've also put me on some medications but I want to end that as soon as possible. I hate the way they make me feel.

"Good," he tells me, "I'm glad."

"What've you been doing all this time?" I ask him.

"Working wherever I can," he replies simply, "I got my GED and I'm taking some college courses at night. I try to date too but nothing ever works out."

"Why's that?" I ask him. Has he been thinking about me? Does he still love me and maybe want to start over again? My head begins to hurt from the questions that swirl inside it.

"I can't get you to stop haunting me," explains Todd, "I keep looking at these girls who are great but all I can see is you. I still care for you, Wanda."

"Todd," I tell him, "Please do something for me." I thought I knew what love was once but now I'm not sure about anything anymore. The only thing I can think of to do is see what happens.

"Okay," agrees Todd before I even get the chance to tell him what it is.

"I want you to kiss me," I tell him, "I just want both of us to let it go and see what happens. Let's not worry about what we're supposed to feel or what the other person wants us to feel. Whatever happens happens, okay?"

"Okay," he agrees. He pulls me closer to him now and gently cups his hand under my chin. I can feel the attraction, the pull towards him. I close my eyes as he presses his lips against mine. There's an explosion inside my head and my body becomes tingly as if it's electrified. Our lips are awkward at first but then they become reacquainted with each other and begin to move as they once did. Any feeling I had for anyone else is completely eclipsed by my feeling for him. All the emotions I thought were dead now come rushing and pouring out of me. Our kiss deepens for a few seconds and then he pulls away.

I open my eyes and collapse into his arms. It's as if the past two years have been completely erased from the face of time. Nothing has changed at all. I still live in that house with the boys. We are young and still very much in love. My brother still watches us with protective eyes. Lance still fills the hallways at night with unplugged guitar chords and Fred still cooks us meals. I am still Todd's little snugglebunny and he is still my slimeball.

"Scarlet," he whispers softly into my ear. It's the only pet name I actually loved to hear him call me. It's a beautiful word and until I fell in love with him I never thought someone like me could be associated with it.

"Todd," I reply, "I love you. I know we had problems but can we try again? I need you now, Todd. Please, never leave me." I do need him now, more than anyone else in the world. I can't do any of this alone. I need him with me to remind me that I'm worth something. I need his comfort and his support. Most of all, I need his love again.

"Wanda," he replies as he strokes my cheek softly, "You know I care for you and you know that I once loved you with all my heart. Please understand that right now you're trying to push a button that's been disconnected for two years. Don't expect it to work like it used to."

"Then you don't love me anymore?" I ask him hesitantly. A deep fear wells up inside me now. I feel as though I am about to be thrown off of a cliff and am expected to magically sprout wings. What if he leaves me again? What if the only person in the world who can save me doesn't want to?

"I will again," he assures me, "Give it time, Wanda. It'll be like before but it'll take some time."

"Okay," I reply quietly. We sit there in silence for awhile, how long exactly I'm not sure. By now I've completely liquefied in his arms. Before, I was a jack-o-lantern with no light. Now, I am the gooey glop you scoop out of the pumpkin. The big, nasty Scarlet Witch is a mushy pile of jelly now. As strange as it may seem, I like this feeling of complete surrender. As long as I'm in his arms I am safe and sound and no monster or demon will ever bother me ever again. I can shut down all the defenses, tear down all the walls around myself, and just lay there completely helpless. As long as he is near, I feel secure because he will never let me fall.

"Visiting time is up," he says quietly. It takes all the forces in creation for him to pull himself away from me.

"I'll come visit you every chance I get," he tells me, "and I'll call you if I don't see you." I nod as he takes my hand and walks me back inside. Being the true gentleman, he opens my door for me and I giggle slightly. Despite all that has happened, we are still very much the same people we always were.

"When you get out of here I'll take you anywhere you want to go," he promises me. I smile a little at this. Todd can be very silly sometimes.

"Todd," I tell him, "anywhere with you is the best place on Earth." There's another tug and my lips gravitate to his for a goodbye kiss.

"Be a good girl," he tells me, "and I'll always be here when you need me." With that, Todd walks out of my room. I turn back to the table where my flowers still reside. I pick up the small card attached to them and read it. _'I still care. Love, Todd.'_

It's funny about life, about the moments that define it. For so long, those moments in my life involved men leaving me. My life was an endless series of being carried up and then falling back down, like a sick and twisted rollercoaster. Not this moment though. This time, one of the men, the best one, came back.


End file.
